RWBY: Final Transmission
by calazar
Summary: Hey there. My name is Leonard Church. A while ago, I got accepted into Beacon, a really bad-ass Hunter school! Even though we weren't the best team. Far from it, in fact! I had a good feeling about the place. That was until it fell to a Grimm attack. Now I lead a Team of survivors from Beacon, and we're more than ready to kick some ass. Runs parallel to Volume 4 and Season 15.
1. Chapter 1: Back in Action

**Chapter One**

Back in Action

Hey guys, if you're hearing this, congrats. My name is Leonard Church. And until a month ago, I was a student at Beacon Academy and leader of Team CPPR.

Beacon Academy was a school for Hunters; people who trained in combat to fight Grimm. These are soulless monsters who want to kill every other living thing they see. Beacon had over six hundred students, all dedicated to beating the shit out of any Grimm they encountered. In the academy, we were separated into four man teams. These teams did everything together.

Now you might be thinking, what happened? How did such an awesome academy fall? And honestly, I have no idea. It was during the Vytal Festival. For those of you who live under a rock, I'll explain. The Vytal Festival is a giant tournament that the Hunter schools from the four kingdoms of the world participate in every couple of years. Anyway, during one of the final fights, everything went to hell. Beacon was overrun by Grimm and several people died, including half of my team.

Now before you get all sappy on me, stop. I've moved on, quite literally. After Beacon fell, anyone who wasn't dead or injured got out of there as fast as they could. Last I heard there was only one or two teams from beacon still functional. I managed to find some of my friends and get out of there. Yep, you're listening to the leader of the combination between Teams CPRR and KAKI. That's pronounced copper and khaki by the way.

Anyway, I'll give the rundown on the survivors and my new team. First off there's me, Leonard Church and former leader of Team CPRR. I'm what you would call a specialist. I can hit anything with my rifle and it serves a variety of purposes. Not to brag or anything but I'm a bit of a badass with it. Since I'm a ranged fighter, I don't wear a lot of armor. I just cover the essentials; elbows, knees, shoulders, the like.

Next we have my partner, Pirus Tucker. My god, if there is a worse flirt in the world I would die. I swear he flirts with every girl he sees. And to top it all off, he's a complete show off. He wields a rapier and takes enormous pleasure out of disarming his opponents. Every time he does it, he grins like he's the best fighter in the world. He's most definitely a front line guy, and I wish for nothing more than for him to be eaten one day.

Next is Kahel Grif. He used to be a part of Team KAKI. He's the sneaky one of the team. His weapon consists of a pair of retractable claws that sits atop his wrist. Since he's the thief of the group, he wears minimal armor. He always wears the hood of his hoodie up, which in my opinion is a little weird. In combat he commonly sneaks around and hits his opponents when they least expect it. The only problem with that strategy was that he requires someone else to take the heat for him while he sneaks around.

Finally, I draw attention to Ivory Grey, as if she really needs my help. That girl is crazy beyond all belief. She spent the majority of her early life earning over twelve different PhDs before finally "settling down" and joining Beacon. She doesn't exactly fight per se as much as have hoards of diabolic and sadistic drones do her dirty work for her. I wish I was joking about that. If you ever have the misfortune of meeting her, I recommend running as fast as you possibly can.

After Beacon fell, I managed to gather up these guys and we high tailed it out of there before the shit could hit the fan any more than it had already. Team KAKI's leader, a guy who went by Sarge, fled into the night as soon as his "sanctuary" fell. Simmons, the final member of Team KAKI, barely escaped a hoard of Grimm and was soon evacuated back to Vale by his parents.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. This particular story begins in the woods of the kingdom of Mistral a few months after the fall of Beacon. The others and I had been tracking down the White Fang, a terrorist group who was in charge of the assault on Beacon. Our story begins on the top of a hill, in the middle of a forest.

Church and Tucker were in charge of scouting out the base. The group had been planning this attack for a while now and was finally putting that plan into action that night. They were standing on a hill, hidden in the foliage of the forest. The base that we were scouting was white and circular with two Faunus standing on top of the flat roof, talking to each other with bored expressions on their faces.

A quick lesson for those who live under a rock: Faunus are people with animal-like traits, like ears or tails. The most common variations are mammals but there are other types as well. These two seemed to be feline and deer-esk, based on the ears and antlers that were present on top of both of their heads.

Church was crouched down, looking through the sight of his rifle at the two. Tucker crouched behind him, looking over Church's shoulder.

"What're they doing?" Tucker asked, sounding both bored and curious.

Pirus Tucker had short, dirty blonde hair and olive green eyes. He had tan skin with built physique, despite not working out often. He wore jeans with a green t-shirt and a light green denim jacket. For armor, he only had armored boots and bracers. On his hip was his thin rapier.

Church lowered his rifle and looked over his shoulder at the other boy, annoyed. This was the third time in fifteen minutes Tucker had asked that question.

"What?" Church asked irritably, his annoyance apparent.

Leonard Church had light skin with green eyes and black hair. He wore a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and jeans. Dark purple armor plating covered his shoulders, knees, and elbows. He had black boots that reached his kneepads and wore armored gloves to keep his grip on his rifle…or if he ever wanted to punch Tucker.

"I said, 'What are they doing now?'" Tucker replied, glaring at his partner.

"Goddamn, I'm getting so sick of answering that question!" The former leader snarled quietly.

"Hey, don't get mad at me," Tucker complained. "You have the sniper rifle-I can't see shit. So don't start to bitch at me, because I'm not gonna just sit up here and play with my-"

"Okay, okay, look... they're just standing there and talking, okay?" Church interrupted, turning back to the base. "That's all they're doing. That's all guards _ever_ do: just stand there and talk. That's what they were doing yesterday, that's what they were doing when you asked me five minutes ago. So, five minutes from _now_ , when you ask me, 'What are they doing?' my answer's gonna be, 'They're still just talking, and they're still just standing there!"

The two fall silent for a second, allowing Church a chance to relax and shake off the anger and annoyance. Then Tucker broke the silence again.

"What're they talking about?"

"You know what? I hate you," Church sighed, lowering the rifle once more.

The aforementioned plan was to destroy the assholes that had ransacked Beacon one base at a time. And if Church got revenge at any point along the way then so much the better.

According to the plan, this base was the first of many. After a few hours, with their reconnaissance done, they slipped back to Grey and Grif. Their camp was surrounded and protected from view by the thick forest. When the two boys arrived, Grey had one of her little "friends" lying in pieces all around her, and Grif was napping.

"Okay, so it looks like they've got minimum security," Church said as he stepped into the clearing. Tucker stepped over to the fire that Grey sat beside and began to rub his hands together, trying to warm them up a little.

"Okay!" Grey said happily. "Then my friends can make short work of them!"

Ivory Grey had white skin and dark black hair with purple highlights. Her dark brown eyes never missed a thing, which got her into more fights than Church could count when combined with her raging motor mouth. She wore a dark purple shirt and dark jeans under a white, reinforced lab coat. Completing her attire were white shin pads over knee high dark boots.

"You know? You scare me sometimes." Tucker said as he edged away from Grey and her creepy smile.

"Join the club," Grif groaned sleepily.

Kahel Grif had white skin with pale red hair that poked out of the hood of his hoodie. His bright blue eyes always seemed to shine in the darkness, making him a startling sight on moonless nights. He wore a yellow t-shirt under a hooded orange jacket with sleeves that stopped at his elbow. His weapons were orange gauntlets that, when in standby, looked like fingerless gloves and bracers. He wore light tan pants covered with multiple pockets and dull, orange running shoes.

He rolled over on the ground and tired to go back to sleep as the others began to discuss an assault plan.

Late that night the former students began their attack. It started with Grey flying two of her helio drones over to the base. The drones were about two feet wide and a half-foot tall. Each one carried several different armaments to cause havoc on the battlefield. The one that mattered that night was their ability to launch sticky grenades out of small turrets on their undersides.

The helio drones flew out over the base under the cover of darkness, their small rotors whirring quietly. Grey stood on the hill, using a holographic screen that came out of her white bracer to control her little devil spawn. Church stood beside her, watching the base through his scope once more. There were several bright flashes of light, then Grey began to smile.

"Okay," Grey reported to Church happily as she brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. "My little friends have successfully blown a hole into the side of the base and killed fifteen hostiles, ten more wounded and unable to escape."

Her attention was suddenly ripped away as one of the drones spotted something on one of the wounded terrorists. Grey zoomed in the camera, her eyes lighting up with interest and fascination.

"Oooh, you look interesting. I'd love to get a sample from you," she pressed a few buttons. "Why thank you for volunteering, sir. Your participation will help science invaluably."

"Grey," Church interrupted, feeling uneasy, "please, stop."

The girl's smile never wavered, she only nodded and went back to having her drones cause havoc in the base. Hoping she would stay on track this time, Church knelt down and began to line up a shot. He lined up his sights on a fleeing terrorist. Breathing calmly and steadily, Church slowly followed the panicked Faunus' movements, then fired. The shot hit the man in the leg, sending him tumbling into the dirt.

"I'm in." Grif's voice quietly reported from Church's wrist where his personal Scroll was expertly attached.

"You know what to do, then." Church said as he lined up another shot, ignoring Grey as she laughed and talked to herself. "Be aware, gas incoming."

The warning given, Church pulled the trigger. The modified bullet was launched into the air. It sailed towards the base at high speeds, ejecting small parts as it flew. Once it impacted on the roof, the container shattered, causing a thick green gas to seep out from the point of impact. The gas was something both Grey and Church had cooked up. It was a chemical compound that reacted rather violently with oxygen, causing the thick mist that was slowly coating the area around the base. Let's just say that there was a reason Church had given the warning.

As soon as the Faunus that had fled to the roof came into contact with the green mist, they started to cough and hack violently. Church watched them impassively as they fell to the floor, prepared to shoot them if they got up again. It wasn't a minute later that the gas dissipated and the terrorists lay unconscious on the roof.

"Alright I found it." Grif said. "Have the psychopath send one of her toys to my location."

"Oh, absolutely!" Grey said enthusiastically before fiddling with some controls on her wrist, manipulating one of her drones. "Okay, I'm now in the system."

"And you're sure you know what you're doing?" Grif asked skeptically. "Cause from what I'm seeing, you have no idea."

"I have a PHD in Cryptology," Grey explained, her smile never wavering. "Compared to the final tests, this security is a joke. And they even have the old firewalls. Wow, there really should be a rule on how outdated things can be, don't you agree?"

"Sure, Grey," Church agreed halfheartedly, beginning to relax.

Sometimes things were too similar for his tastes, like the group was back at Beacon and they were simply participating in an exercise put on by one of the teachers. They acted the same as before, but still, it was strange. There were things that weren't right, like the lulls in conversation where they expected someone else to fill in the gaps.

"Excellent!" Grey smiled.

" _Excellent. Now; Leonard Church, Pirus Tucker, Raven Frost, and Risa Carolina. You four grabbed the White King piece," Headmaster Ozpin said as he addressed the teens on the stage. "From now on you shall be known as Team Copper, led by Leonard Church."_

 _It was the final stage of the initiation. They had passed! Though now Church was stuck with these idiots for the rest of his time here. Just great. Of all the traditions Beacon had to follow, why did it have to be the stupid teams one? The rest of the students clapped. At least Church thought they did. He wasn't really paying attention, Theta was talking._

" _Do you think we'll be able to throw a party?" the fragment asked, from Church's right._

" _I highly doubt that the faculty would approve of such an endeavor." Delta said monotonously, appearing on Church's left._

" _D," Church whispered, "shut up, let us enjoy this."_

" _Very well." Delta said with just a hint of a smile on his face._

 _They stepped off the stage as the next team was called up. Church shook hands with Raven and Risa. They both seemed like asses._

" _Krim Ayers, Amón Simmons, Kahel Grif, and Ivory Grey. you four have selected the Black Rook piece," Ozpin said. "From now on you shall be known as Team Khaki, led by Krim Ayers."_

" _That's Sarge, Dirtbag" Krim growled at Ozpin._

 _The headmaster smiled then waved them off the stage, faintly muttering "This is going to be an interesting four years."_

"Dylan Andrews from Remnant Daily here," a lady said as she stepped in front of the camera.

She had short, light brown hair with dark blue eyes. She wore a white coat with a light blue t-shirt under it, sparse light blue armor on her shoulders and forearms, blue jeans, and white running shoes. She had light blue wires running down her left sleeve, connecting to one of the light blue gloves that covered her hands and had a sub-machine pistol strapped to her hip.

"Today, we will be covering the fall of Beacon and the possible ramifications this could have on the economy of Vale."

Behind her was the sight of the castle-like school. Grimm moved as black swarms in the distance. By one of the towers of the school, a giant black dragon was frozen in mid-flight. Andrews gestured behind her as she spoke.

"As most of you know, nearly a month ago now, Beacon Academy was attacked and overrun by a massive swarm of Grimm. Nobody knows how many survivors there were, but today I have found proof that there at least three whole teams that survived this terrible tragedy."

"Aaaand, cut." Altin York, Andrews' cameraman and friend, said as he flicked off the camera.

"Was it good?" Siva Washington asked as he carefully watched the horizon.

"Yeah it was good, Wash" Dylan said.

Dylan, York, and Wash had been on a team together when they were students at Shade, years ago. Now they were investigative journalists when their duties as hunters didn't call them away from home. But their skills as Hunters made them invaluable to Remnant Daily, as they didn't need a bodyguard when they went into dangerous areas to investigate leads.

York nodded to Wash as he tucked away the camera into his satchel that hung off his shoulder. York had golden, short, spiky hair with a singular right, brown eye. His other eye was pure white, with a spider web-like scar branching out from the useless organ. He wore a light-yellow t-shirt, tan pants and light brown leather boots that reached his knee. At his hip sat a golden broadsword.

Wash nodded and turned around slowly, never taking his eyes off the swarm of evil creatures. He had silver hair with blue eyes and light skin. He wore a dark grey short-sleeved t-shirt with a grey-and-yellow armored vest over it, dark grey cargo pants and black boots. He had black bracers that covered his forearms. At his hips were a pair of black knives with an assault rifle strapped onto his back.

"Then we need to move," Wash said. "Those Grimm are swarming and I don't want to be here when they get here."

"Agreed," Dylan said. "Just let me call Carlos then we'll be on our way."

She walked away from her friends and began calling their boss. York surveyed the destruction of the former school. It was bone chilling. The once vibrant school grounds now stood as husk of its former self. Where there used to be grass and students milling around was now only decay and Grimm.

"Do you really think anyone would want to be Hunters after witnessing something like this?" York asked.

"I don't know." Wash replied. "But I'll be damned if we don't find them. There are more dangerous things in this world than Grimm."

"Yeah," York agreed sadly.

Church walked out of the forest, the remainder of the group following him shortly afterwards. Grey and Tucker were talking to each other while Grif was practically sleeping on his feet. Church was talking to himself, or, more accurately, his fragments.

Church's semblance was called Fragmentation. It allowed him to split himself up into separate emotions or feelings. He had fragmented himself a total of eight times, either by accident or on purpose depending on the fragment. He was currently talking to Theta and Delta, the fragments representing his trust and reasoning respectively. No one else could see them unless he wanted them to.

They looked exactly like him for the most part. Theta wore the same apparel as Church, except where the boy's armor was a dark royal blue, Theta's was purple. Theta was childish, becoming frightened quite easily. He was almost the exact opposite of Delta.

Delta wore Church's old School uniform, except where the uniform was usually brown the fragment had changed it into a bright green. Delta also changed up the appearance by the inclusion of thin wire framed glasses. Both fragments had been created on accident early when Church first discovered his semblance.

"I suggest we follow the lead found by Ms. Grey." Delta was saying.

"But that would take us all the way up to Atlas." Theta argued.

"Guys," Church interrupted, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. They had been having this exact same discussion for an hour now. "Is there any way we can track these bastards without walking across the entire damn world?"

"Well, yeah," Tucker called out. "We could go to Haven."

"And how would that help?" Church asked, turning around to face his partner.

"Well, Beacon has fallen," Tucker explained. "We might be able to regroup with other Hunters there and find a way to fight these guys. It is an Academy after all."

"His logic is not unsound." Delta said to Church's left. Church sighed and turned back around, trudging forwards.

"I guess we're going to Haven then." he muttered.

"Team CKIT away!" Theta laughed

"We are not calling ourselves Team Casket." Church said irritably.

"No one said we were, dude." Grif said lazily.

"Shut up." Church said, stalking away.

"I think it's a great name!" Grey cheered before adding in an undertone. "It perfectly describes where leave our enemies."

"Oh my god," Church yelled, slapping his hand to his head in frustration. "If you say anything else positive, I will fucking kill all four of us right now! What the hell is happening with my life?"

 _What the hell was happening? He couldn't remember. He had been sparring. He had been dying. Why wasn't he scared. He didn't want to die. Why wasn't he scared._

" _Leonard!" Tex shouted at him, quite angrily. This didn't scare him. Why? "Wake up, Cockbite, or I'll knock you into next month."_

" _Delta, what's wrong?" Church asked monotonously._

 _He opened his eyes to find himself in the infirmary with Tex and the rest of his team standing by his bed. Delta appeared next to Tex and began looking at a clipboard in his hand._

" _Leonard, what's wrong?" Tex asked, sounding worried._

" _I'm not scared." Church answered her calmly._

" _Problem detected." Delta reported as he became visible to the rest of the team. "We have created a new fragment. Say hello, Eta"_

 _Eta looked like Theta except his armor was bright yellow. The boy looked slightly younger than Church, but his entire posture spoke of fear. He cowered at the sight of the others._

" _H-hello," he stuttered_

" _What happened?" Tex asked, staring at Eta._

" _The fight caused severe damage to our internal organs as well as multiple wounds to the torso and head." Delta reported. "We feared the outcome of the fight before we stepped into the arena and that amplified our fear of death when we lost. To preserve itself, our psyche activated our semblance and fragmented our fear."_

" _Dude, that is badass." Tucker said._

" _Correction," Delta interrupted, dispelling the clipboard. "Because of our lack of accessible fear, there is potential for reckless and risky behavior. I would suggest a guardian be appointed to us for the remainder of our stay at Beacon."_

 _Church looked at Tucker, slightly pleadingly. Eta cowered before disappearing. Tucker noticed his partner's look and shook his head._

" _Don't look at me, dude," he said, backing away slightly. "I won't be your babysitter._

" _I would recommend Raven watch over us for the time being," Delta said. "She has the most flexible schedule at present and is the most experienced in watching others back. She is currently the most logical choice."_

" _Alright," Tex said, nodding her consent._


	2. Chapter 2: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

**A/N: In answer to a particularly foul review. Yes, I realize that I changed the Reds and Blues names. I did this to make them fit in with the RWBY Naming Rule. If you want my explanation for any of the names, please PM me like a normal person and don't rant in my review box. It's very annoying. Now on with the story.**

 **Chapter Two**

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

"So, how was your mission?" A harsh female voice asked from the shadows of a dark castle room.

"I'd consider it a success, ma'am," Krim said with his hands folded behind his back.

Krim "Sarge" Ayers was a former student of Beacon. He wore a light red long-sleeved t-shirt under crimson armor that covered his chest, shoulders and arms. He had armored fingerless gloves, black jeans, and dark red combat boots with a blood red shotgun strapped onto the small of his back.

He stood in a large ballroom in an almost archaic castle that made up the only building in the dreaded place known as the Wastelands. The Wastelands were a breeding ground for the Grimm, making it uninhabitable for humans. This proved true to all except those who served the woman who Krim was currently conversing with.

"They never suspected me," Sarge continued, "not even the headmaster. There were several missions that were a success because of my personal intervention."

"Hmm," Salem said as she turned away from the window and stepped out of the shadows. "Very well, you can be put back on active duty."

Salem was a tall woman with bone white skin and hair that she wore in long curls running down her back. She had black sclera and crimson irises which were overshadowed by purple, bruise-like skin that surrounded her eyes. She wore a long black robe that dragged behind her as she walked and had black veins that crawled up the sides of her face.

"Thank you, ma'am," Sarge said. "Where do you need me?"

"Roman fell during the Battle of Beacon. Take over his duties."

Sarge saluted crisply and walked out of the room. Salem smiled cruelly and turned to a small golden orb that floated behind her. She placed her hand on the orb.

"Make sure his death is painful," she spoke clearly.

"So, the next town issss…," Ruby Rose said as she looked at the map she was holding. "We're lost."

Ruby and her friends were one of the few surviving teams from Beacon. She used to be the leader of Team RWBY (Ruby), but after the siege her teammates scattered. Now she travelled with the remains of Team JNPR (Juniper). Their teammate, Pyrrha Nikos, died fighting Cinder Fall, one of the leaders of the Battle. Her parents were crushed. Pyrrha's sister, Risa, had died trying to save her. That fight had been the first time in years the half-sisters had gotten along.

Ruby was a short girl with short, black hair that was highlighted red at its tips and silver eyes. Her fair complexion was emphasized by a white, long-sleeved shirt under a black corset and skirt. She wore black leggings and boots all accompanied by a ragged red cape that fluttered behind her as she walked. Attached to her back was a large red contraption that was her weapon.

"We're not lost," Jaune Arc, the former leader of Team Juniper, laughed. "The next town is Shion. My family used to visit it all the time."

Jaune was a stocky guy with short, blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a black and orange sweatshirt under white armor that covered his chest and shoulders. He wore jeans and had a sword strapped to his hip in a white and gold scabbard.

"Oh, yeah," Ruby smiled, looking up from her map to watch where she was going. "Didn't you have like, four sisters?"

"Uh… seven actually" Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You know, that actually explains a lot." Nora Valkyrie said from beside Jaune.

Nora was the energetic one of the group, and she was never far from her partner, Lie Ren, who was nearly the exact opposite of her. Where she was bright and zany, he was calm and collected.

Nora had short bright orange hair and light blue eyes. She wore a white shirt under another black and pink shirt which she kept unbuttoned. She wore a pink skirt and pink gloves. On her back was a silver grenade launcher that clanked softly with every step she took.

Ren was a tall, thin boy with black hair with pink highlights on the tips. He wore a green robe with black and pink arm coverings that went up to his forearms. He wore white pants and black combat boots. On his hips were two green pistols with long blades in front of the handles.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jaune asked, beginning to sulk a little at Nora's comment.

"So!" Ruby shouted before Nora could say anything. "What did you guys do there?"

"Oh, all sorts of things," Jaune said eagerly, walking faster to catch up to the small girl. He began to energetically gesture to the map Ruby was holding.

"Over here is a great hiking trail. And over here is where we went camping all the time. I got my own tent because _I_ was special… also so my sisters would stop braiding my hair."

"Didn't like the look?" Ruby teased.

"Yeah, they just kept doing pigtails," Jaune nodded, "but personally I think I'm more of a warrior's wolf tail kind of guy."

"That's just a ponytail," Ruby pointed out skeptically. Jaune paused for a second then looked away, pointedly ignoring Ruby's grin.

"I stand by what I said."

"Uh, guys?" Nora interrupted, stopping in her tracks and pointing down the road.

"What?" Jaune asked before following her finger.

Before them sat the desecrated carcass of a rural village. Buildings smoked and crumbled, and there was a thick layer of ash coating the ground. Scattered around the ground were several mutilated corpses. Shion had been destroyed.

Ruby dropped the map, and Jaune rushed into the center of the town. Nora and the others followed him. Looking around, the village was no better than it looked on the outside. The Asian styled buildings were in shambles. The cobbled street had several deep gouges in it and many more weapons laying on it.

"Look for survivors," Ruby ordered. The four teens quickly spread out and looked around until Ren called out.

"Over here!"

" _Over here," Church whispered to Tucker._

" _What?" his partner asked._

 _They were crawling over a hill for a reconnaissance lesson. They were in the crimson forest of Forever Fall with the rest of the team. Tex was watching their backs with her pistols drawn. Carolina was lying next to Church with her stun batons gripped tightly in her hands._

" _I've found it." Church whispered. "We just need to sneak over there and grab it."_

" _And how do you plan on doing that, dipshit?" Tucker asked. "It's only guarded by Team CFVY. No big deal."_

" _Hey, don't get up on my ass, Tucker," Church quietly snarled, turning to look back down his scope. "I only said that I had found it. Not that I could magically grab it."_

" _Both of you, shut it!" Carolina snarled._

" _I don't take orders from you, bitch," Church said turning to face her._

" _What did you just call me?" Carolina asked, rolling her body to face her leader._

" _I called you a fucking bitch," Church said loudly._

" _Yo, Leonard," Tucker said, prodding his partner as Church stood up to tower over Carolina._

" _Really?" Carolina asked, getting up from her position as well, glaring at Church. "I've beaten you in every spar we've had. Do you really want-"_

" _Hey, dipshits!" Tucker shouted standing up as well._

" _What?" Church snarled, turning to face Pirus. "What is it, Tucker?"_

 _Tucker did nothing but point at the smirking Team CFVY. The leader had a massive Gatling gun leveled at the three. Church sighed and wilted._

" _Fuck."_

The city of Vale was quiet. The streets were empty, like the citizens were long dead and the city was a ghost town. Or, at least, this part of it was. Dylan walked through the empty city warily, almost expecting an ambush of some kind. York and Wash walked behind her, their bodies tense.

"I wonder where everyone is." York stated as he looked at the boarded-up windows of a shop.

"They're all just going on a coffee break," Wash suggested casually, though his posture spoke of his unease.

"Calm down," Dylan said. "We just need to find this guy."

"How do we know that he hasn't left, like the rest of this city?" Wash asked skeptically, looking over his shoulder at the empty windows of a book store.

Dylan stopped and looked around. She seemed sad to York, like the sight of the once vibrant city depressed her. York hadn't seen her this bad since the talk with James a few months ago.

"We just need to find him." Dylan repeated to herself quietly looking at the ground. "Just need to find him."

Wash noticed his partner's expression and sighed. He walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. This wasn't his strong suit.

"Look, I know how important this is to you," he began. "But what if he isn't here? What if none of them are here?"

"Let's just keep looking." Dylan interrupted, brushing his hand off her shoulder and continuing down the street.

Wash and York looked at each other then followed her. Two blocks later, they found it. It was a small, one story building with a red sign over the door.

"Simmons' Dust." York read as they stood in front of the door.

"Here we go." Wash muttered.

The trio entered the small store and looked around. It was much smaller on the inside. This was mainly due to the Dust that covered every available surface. It lined walls and covered shelves. How the place hadn't been robbed during the spree at the beginning of the year was beyond Andrews.

Behind the counter that stood in the middle of the store, was a teen with reddish-brown, short, spiky hair with brown eyes. He had tanned skin with freckles covering his face. He wore grey pants, pockets running along the legs, with a pouch covered belt. He wore a dark red t-shirt, covered by pale silver hoodie.

At first glance, Dylan would say he was...bored. He was slouching at the counter, not even looking up when the door opened. He was reading the newspaper that he had spread out over the counter.

"Welcome to Simmons' Dust, I'm Amon. How can I help you today?" he asked without looking up from his paper, boredom evident in every word he spoke. "No, we will not evacuate. No, we will not participate in a test of a new security system. And no, I am not that guy you saw at the Achieve Men concert."

"Quite the list he's got there." York muttered to Wash.

"These people live in constant fear, it's no wonder there are people out there willing to take advantage of them." Wash muttered back. Dylan cleared her throat, shutting her teammates up.

"Hello, sir. My name is Dylan Andrews from Remnant Daily. This is Altin York and Siva Washington." Dylan said calmly, gesturing to the two men standing behind her. "We're Huntsmen who were hired to find any survivors from Beacon. Would you be willing to answer a few questions?"

Amon looked away from his newspaper and stared at them in surprise, obviously expecting them to leave after he had said his spiel. He perked up and readdressed them.

"Well, sure." he said eagerly. Dylan nodded and stepped further into the shop.

"You said your name was Amon, would you happen to be the same Amon from Team Khaki of Beacon?" she asked as Wash and Altin spread out in the shop, letting Dylan do her job.

"Well, yes." Amon said. "Sarge was the leader."

"Okay, do you mean Krim Ayers?" Dylan asked, starting up her recorder.

"Well, yeah," Amon said. "Who else?"

"Would you happen to know the whereabouts of the rest of your team?"

"Uh, no? I don't think so. I don't know if you've noticed, but everyone kinda left after everything went down."

"You could say that again." York muttered as he looked out the window at the empty street. Dylan glared at York then turned back to Amon.

"There's evidence to suggest that one or more of your team members may have been involved in the attack on Beacon, care to comment?"

"What?" Amon asked in pure shock. "No, no one on my team would ever do that. Well, Grey might, but not unless she was sure it wouldn't hurt anyone… I hope." Dylan studied him for a moment then nodded.

"Okay, thank you. I think I have everything I need." she said turning away.

"You still think they did it, don't you?" Amon called out.

Dylan stopped and faced the teen once more. Wash looked at the two with concern. York, who was already standing at Andrews' side, narrowed his eyes quizzically at Amon.

"I'm not sitting in judgement," Dylan reassured. "I'm just…gathering information."

"I-if it will help, I managed to hack into Beacons files during the start of my second year." Amon said hopefully. "They should still be there, floating on the CCT. I could give you the chip I copied the access codes onto."

Dylan nodded silently, and Amon leaned under the counter. He stood back up and reached out to give her a small black chip to slide into a computer. Dylan took the chip and tucked it into the breast pocket on her coat.

"Thank you," she said and walked out of the store, York on her heels.

Wash began to follow them then stopped at the door. He looked back at Amon who was watching Dylan with near hope on his face. Siva took a breath and Amon focused on him.

"Look, kid." Wash said. "I'm probably not the first person to say this to you, but with how close you are to Beacon you need to get out of here. Your hope and determination might keep the Grimm off of you for some time, but it won't protect you forever."

Amon nodded, and Wash followed his team out of the door. Dylan was waiting with York, looking impatient. Wash walked up to them and noticed that Dylan had slid the chip into her Scroll and was trying to access the files as soon as possible.

"So…" York dragged out. "This was a bust. Now we have nothing."

"Are you kidding?" Dylan asked, stopping her attempts at accessing the files to look at him. "We just got our first lead! I've got forty, fifteen-minute long security logs to get through!"

"Ok then," York said, "where to?"

"We'll start with Beacon," Dylan said, walking away towards their airship that they had parked on the outskirts of the city. "We'll see where the story takes us from there, but one way or another, I promise, we are just getting started."

"A Huntsman!" Ruby said as they rushed over to Ren.

The quiet teen was kneeling next to a young man in pale silver armor who was leaning against a piece of rubble. The man was breathing heavily and holding his hands over a deep wound that was gushing blood.

"What happened?" Jaune asked as he ran up. "Who killed all these people?"

"Bandits," the man coughed. "The whole village… Then, with all the panic…"

The man began coughing harshly. Ruby raised her hands in an attempt to stop him. The man settled down as Ruby knelt next to him as well.

"Grimm." Ren finished the man's sentence bitterly

Ren stood and walked a few paces away, placing his hands atop his head. Ruby eased the man into a more comfortable position. Jaune and Nora looked at each other with concern.

"We can get him to the next village if we hurry." Ruby said, looking at Jaune earnestly. "We can try to find a doctor there."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed. "Ren and I can take turns carrying him there."

"I don't know if he'll make it," Nora said sadly.

"He will," Jaune reassured. "He has to." Ren walked back over and looked at the rest of the team.

"If we get going now, our chances will be better," Ruby said, standing up. "I can run ahead and look for help."

"Guys," Ren said, drawing everyone's attention.

The other three turned to look at the quiet boy. Ren merely pointed at the man who had silently died while they talked about saving him.

"Should we bury him?" Nora asked.

"We should go," Ren said, walking away. "It's not safe here."

"Ren," Nora called softly before running after him.

Ruby walked over to Jaune and put her hand on his arm. The young knight looked at the body sadly before looking at her.

"It'll be okay," Ruby consoled.

"I'm just tired of losing everything," Jaune sighed before walking away to follow the others.

In the quiet of the forest, their camp was almost inconspicuous. Church had suggested they keep moving but even Ivory had been too tired to move on. The camp was simple. It had four tents and a small campfire. Church sat off to the side. It was his turn for watch and he was beginning to doze off.

"Hey there," a voice cut through the silence from Church's right.

"Hey, Tex," Church said tiredly, not even looking at her.

"Wow, I'm gone for a month, and this is all I get?" Raven Frost asked, half-jokingly as she stepped out into the light of the moon.

Raven was a tall girl with blond hair, blue eyes, and light skin. She wore a black short-sleeved t-shirt with a purple and grey armored vest over it. Bracers of the same color covered her forearms. She wore black jeans and black boots that covered her feet and shins. Two black knives laid in a cross on her tailbone.

"Go away, Tex," Church said. "I'm on watch tonight."

"You're always on watch, Church," Tex scowled irritably. "Why should tonight be any different. Besides you know she would say, don't you?"

"Stop it, Tex,"

Tex ignored Church's voice and stepped back into the shadows of the night. Risa Carolina took her place almost instantly. Risa had red hair, green eyes, and light skin. She wore a light grey leather chest plate, a steel skirt, and grey shoulder pads. Silver bracers adorned her arms and knee-high boots covered her legs. Upon her neck was a necklace with the outline of a silver shield on it. A silver spear was strapped across her back.

"Go away Beta." Church sighed once more, tears beginning to appear at the corners of his eyes. "I don't need you to remind me of my failures."

"So, this is what you've become?" Carolina asked derisively. "A crying little bitch who can't make his own decisions."

"Shut up!" Church yelled. "Not everyone got to die peacefully on that day, Carolina! Just leave me alone. I don't need any more bad dreams tonight."

"Quit crying, Leonard," Tex said, walking over to her creator and scowling down at him. "Or I'll beat you into next week."

"Yeah," Church agreed quietly as Beta vanished from his sight. "I look forward to it."


	3. Chapter 3: Perfect Memory

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late update. I had some things come up and then there was RTX (that was awesome, by the way) and then everything just happened. So, yeah, sorry. :|**

 **A/N 2: It has occurred to me that I have never thanked my Beta for working on this and my other story for me. So I must thank Agonce Nui for her wonderful help on this story. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.**

 **Chapter Three**

Perfect Memory

"Remind me," York began quietly as the trio stalked through the outskirts of the grounds of Beacon Academy. "Why are we here?"

"We need more information," Wash replied, "and the best place to get that is where they spent the most time together."

"Yeah, but why does it have to be in an abandoned school full of Grimm?"

"Yeah, I'm a little stumped on that myself," Wash looked at Dylan questioningly. "Care to enlighten us?"

Dylan pushed forwards carefully, watching out for any Grimm that might appear. She looked over her shoulder at her two teammates and shrugged.

"Stop whining," she replied. "This is our only lead we've gotten in awhile. We need to follow it."

"And I ask again, why here?" York asked. "Why does it have to be here of all places?"

"York, shut up and search." Dylan commanded strictly.

York wisely shut up and began looking around. The three spread out to search the abandoned school. They each found various items belonging to the former students, but it was Wash who found something important.

"Yo boss, you might want to see this," he called out when they were searching to dorm rooms.

He held up two small photographs in between his fingers. Dylan walked over to him and held her hand out. Wash handed over the pictures. They were pictures of two teams hanging out together. One photograph was of a single student standing in front of Beacon looking annoyed. The other picture was of eight people standing in front of Beacon academy before it fell. On its edge, the words "home with my friends" was evident.

"It's him."

" _Hey, look, it's him."_

" _Geez, he looks beat."_

" _No wonder, he got his ass kicked by Coco Adel."_

 _Church sighed. This was the norm now. He would walk, people would "subtly" whisper about him, and he would get annoyed. He was currently walking through the courtyard of Beacon, hoping for some privacy. This hope had been quickly dashed when he had been seen by some students wandering the courtyard during lunch._

 _He was now sitting under a tree, doing subtle adjustments to his gun. God damnit, he wished he had Grif's semblance at sometimes. He looked down the scope and scowled. Not good enough._

" _Yo, Church!" Tucker's voice called. "Church!"_

" _What is it Tucker? Don't you have some girls to get beat up by?" the sniper called back, without taking his attention away from his gun._

" _Nah, they couldn't handle me for much longer," Tucker laughed. "I'm just too much for them."_

" _You're too something I'll give you that," Church scowled. "Annoying comes to mind first."_

" _Church seriously, I got something to show you," Tucker said enthusiastically. "It's really important."_

" _What?" Church said, standing up. "What do you have to show me that is so damn important?"_

 _He turned to face his partner only to blink furiously as a camera flash went off. Tucker cackled as he quickly lowered his scroll. Church's scowl deepened as he glared at the fencer._

" _You have two seconds before I test my calibrations on you," Church said as he raised his rifle to his face._

" _Oh shit." Tucker said turning tail and booking it towards the school._

 _Several shots rang out as Tucker zig-zagged back and forth across the courtyard. Dirt was blasted into the air by Church's shots._

" _Your aim is slightly off," Delta said as he watched the proceedings. "I would suggest adjusting the scope by .03 degrees."_

" _But what if we h-hit him?" Eta asked, appearing next to Delta._

" _Listen to your fear, Church," Tucker yelled. Another shot rang out. "Holy fuck, I just took a picture of you! Chill the fuck out!"_

" _Soo!" a new voice called out, startling Church enough to cause him to miss his next shot. "There's two shiny ghost men here. Anyone care to introduce me?"_

 _Church turned to glare at Ivory Grey as she was sticking her hand through Eta's head, standing not two feet away from Church. She seemed positively giddy to bear witness to the phenomenon that was Delta and Eta. Eta whimpered and vanished._

" _Grey!" Sarge called out. "I thought I told you to take a break, not to pester Team Copper!"_

" _But this is an excellent chance to study semblances." Grey argued before being grabbed and dragged off by her team leader. "You people have no appreciation for modern science!"_

" _Well, on that note, how are you Leonard?" Tex asked as she walked up beside him._

" _Hey Tex, I'm fine."_

" _Of course he is." Carolina scoffed before disappearing in a blink of light. In her place stood a perfect replica of Church "My name is Leonard Church and I'm the most badass person alive. Just look at how many fragments I made of myself."_

" _I do not sound like that," Church said._

" _Sure you do buddy, you just don't realize it." Tucker said, wrapping his arm around Church's shoulder._

" _Get back here little lady!" Sarge yelled from behind them._

 _Suddenly Grey was up in Church's face asking him dozens of questions about his semblance. Church tried to take a step back but was blocked by Tucker's arm. Tex dragged Grey back by her jacket and smiled at her in a way that made most people run. Sarge came running up and grabbed Ivory by her arm again._

" _Damnit, Grey, you're going to get us into trouble." Grif said, jogging over with a hamburger in his hand._

" _Actually, there are next to no teachers out here now." Amon said as he followed Grif, consulting his scroll as he checked various information._

" _Well then, it sounds like they have been lax in their duties." Sarge growled, letting go of Ivory. "This will have to be rectified."_

" _Why did I have to be stuck with you guys?" Church asked, smiling slightly._

" _Ahh, how cute!" a girl cooed. "They're getting along."_

 _There was another flash of light and the moment was immortalized. From left to right there was; Carolina, smirking as she watched the two teams interact; Church, smiling with Tucker's arm around his shoulders, the boy himself to Church's right; Ivory, staring avidly at Church; Tex, watching Church and Ivory with a small smile on her face; Amon showing his scroll to Sarge and gesturing to the device; Sarge, standing next to him and seeming attentive; and finally, Grif was sitting down next to Sarge with the final bite of his burger flying towards his mouth. The perfect moment._

"Move it, human," a Faunus snarled as he pushed past Sarge.

Sarge growled as he watched the back of the tall man. In the week he had been living with these people, he had been more disrespected than ever before, even more than the utter disregard for orders that Grif used to show. The young man started forward with his hand going for his shotgun. He was ready to get some respect, even if he had to force it out of these damn animals.

He was stopped short by a small hand on his elbow. Sarge looked around to see Neapolitan frowning at him. Neo was a short girl with pink and brown hair with matching eyes. She wore a dark shirt under a white jacket with black skinny jeans. She wore knee-high white boots, dark gloves, and carried a pale pink umbrella.

Neo never spoke, ever, but she more than made up for it with her expressions. She was currently acting as Sarge's second in command/social councilor. Sarge scowled but lowered his arm.

"Watch your back, dirtbag," the former student growled at the retreating Faunus. "Cause I sure as hell won't."

Sarge turned away and relaxed his face. Neo stood next to him, leaning on her umbrella with a smirk on her face. It was show time after all. And he had the "honor" of making a good impression to any new recruits.

"Alright," Sarge began as he walked out onto the stage. The warehouse was dark, with the only well lit portion being the stage on which he stood. "who here wants revenge?"

A chorus of cheers broke out from the gathered audience. Sarge centered himself on the stage and began his speech. That was his mission, to continue where Roman Torchwick had left off. To raise an army of both Grimm and Faunus to conquer the world for Salem.

"Well, then," he said, "the next question is: how far are you willing to go to get it?"

There was another cheer, this time quieter. If Sarge had to be honest, this wasn't his preferred role in things. He wasn't a good conversationalist like Roman or Coco. He'd much rather be fighting in the front lines, beating the shit out of anything that moved. But he had his orders and a good Sargeant always followed his orders.

While he was talking to the masses, his mind was elsewhere. He was remembering his fights with Grif back at Beacon. He was so distracted that he almost didn't notice the screams when they began. He shook his head and looked to the back of the group to see what was the matter.

A large group of Grimm had entered the warehouse. But that wasn't possible; all the Grimm were under direct control of Salem. The Grimm charged through the crowd and made their way directly towards Sarge. No, this was too organized to be random.

These Grimm were Beowolves, wolf-like monsters that hunted in packs. They were taller than any man when they stood on their back paws and were about as tall as Sarge's shoulders when they crouched down. Their fur was pitch black and they had bone-like spines and armor covering various parts of their bodies.

Sarge grabbed his shotgun and threw himself off the stage, his weapon held high. He shoved through the crowd and leveled his gun at the first Beowolf that came within range. He squeezed the trigger, sending a cone of Dust bullets rocketing into the Grimm. The Grimm fell flat onto its face, already beginning to dissolve.

Sarge spun around and fired three more rounds into the encroaching horde. Salem had really gone all in. There were at least thirty Grimm coming for him. As Sarge continued to fire, he noticed his ammo running low. Dammit, he hadn't been prepared for combat today. It was normally Grif's job to handle extra ammunition.

Sarge knew he was in trouble when he blasted a charging Beowolf in the face then spun around. This had been his tactic for the last ten Grimm or so. Fire, spin to dodge some form of attack, then fire again. This time, however, when he spun his foot got caught in something on the floor. Thankfully, the civilians had all run off by that point so Sarge's fall didn't mean that he doomed someone else. No, Sarge only doomed himself with his trip.

He fell gracelessly, his weapon flying out of his hands as he landed on his butt. The Wolves were on him in an instant. One began to chew on his leg whilst another lunged for his face. Sarge brought his arm up to take the brunt of the assault. The wolf bit down on his arm, making him cry out in agony.

Sarge forced himself to regain control. He jerked his captured arm towards himself, while drawing his combat knife that his kept tucked behind his belt at all times.

The Beowolf was taken by surprise as its prey jerked underneath it. It was even more surprised when it felt something prick its skull. The last thing to go through the Beowolf's mind was the serrated steel of Krim Ayer's combat knife.

With the Grimm on top of him dead, Sarge began to struggle against the rest of the pack. He soon found that he was getting nowhere. The pack didn't relent. It kept clawing and ripping at the young Sargent's body.

Sarge kept struggling feebly, with no results. Just as he was about to pass out, one of the wolves clawing at him fell away. Then another did as well, then another. Neo stepped up and continued to stab at the wolves with her umbrella, a strange smirk on her face. She had come to save him.

 _She had come to save him. She had actually come to save him. Of all the stupid things to do, this had to be at the top of the list. Not only was she risking detention or worse just by being down here with him, but she now had to deal with Church's opponent._

 _Church had been told to spar Umbris Brant, a brute of a boy who wielded a massive freaking greatsword. Church had only been out of the infirmary for a week from his last spar. How the hell was he supposed to fight this asshole?_

 _The main problem with Church's fighting style was that he couldn't fight. He preferred to be a good twenty to thirty feet away from his target. On top of that he had no real way of getting away if anyone got too close. So these spars were never in his favor._

 _Sure, his gun had a fully automatic mode but that didn't really help against a charging behemoth of a guy. The fight had been quick. Brant had charged, and Church had evaded, but that could only go on for so long. Sooner rather than later, Brant had managed to hit him with his sword._

 _Church had not reacted well. He had doubled over and slid back from the blow, his Aura falling into the red and ending the match. Of course, the dumbass Brant hadn't taken the hint and had continued the battle. He had pressed his advantage and delivered a devastating right hook to Church's head._

 _The young sniper had collapsed and lain there as Brant began to wail on him. Goodwitch had tried to step in, but before any real progress had been made, Tex had come in and saved him._

 _She vaulted onto the stage, murder in her eyes as she approached Church's attacker. She ran up and kicked Brant's legs out from under him. As the large boy was falling, Tex caught him by his shoulder and slammed him into her knee. Brant staggered upright only to be caught in the face with several fast punches to the face that left him disoriented. This was quickly followed by a haymaker that shoved Brant's head down once more. Tex scowled then kneed the berserker in the stomach, actually lifting him off the ground._

 _Tex grabbed Brant's leg as he began to fall down and slammed him into the stage, small cracks forming from the impact. Tex cocked back her other hand as Brant began to beg her to stop. Tex ignored his pleas and punched him in the crotch so hard that the cracks became a crater. She quickly stood up and kicked Church's opponent in the groin._

 _Brant sailed through the air and slammed into the wall. Tex walked over to Church and hauled him up by his shirt. The defeated sniper staggered to his feet as Brant slid down the cracked wall to slump on the floor. Tex scowled at Church then walked off the stage, not ten seconds after she had arrived._

" _Geez lady, why don't you just kill me already." Brant wheezed out._

" _That can be arranged, asswipe" Tex growled at the boy, causing him to cower slightly._

 _The entire audience was eerily silent as Tex took her seat again and Goodwitch called the match in Brant's favor._

" _I would like to remind you, Mr. Church, that if this were a real fight; you would have lost. Perhaps you should spend less time arguing with your teammates and perhaps begin working with them."_

"Damn it, Dylan, pull yourself together!" York snarled, punching his friend in the face.

Wash had his daggers drawn and was watching the Beowolves and Creeps as they drew closer to the room through the window. Wash scowled, sheathing his daggers and grabbing the assault rifle that was strapped onto his back. He leveled the gun at the closest Grimm and steadied himself.

"Eyes on the closest," he said. "Be prepared, they're not going to wait."

Dylan scowled and nodded. She had gotten distracted by the remains of the lives of the students who had lived here and her sadness had inevitably attracted the Grimm. She grabbed her sub-machine gun and raised her left hand behind her. It was her unique combat stance, one that complemented her semblance near perfectly. She was ready.

York took a second to glance at his leader carefully before readying himself as well. He drew his short-sword and raised his gauntleted left fist in front of him. The gauntlet spread open to reveal a circular buckler shield. It was time to fight.

"Breach," Wash called just before a Creep jumped through the window.

Creeps were bipedal Grimm reminiscent of raptors. They were waist high with no arms. They had black scales and bone-covered faces. Along with the sharp teeth covered their mouths, they had two sharp horns poking out of the back of their head.

The Creep lunged through the window, horns facing Dylan as she began shooting the armored monster. York jumped in front of Dylan and met the Grimm's charge with his shield. He planted his feet and grunted as the small Grimm slammed into him.

Wash ducked out of the cover of the wall and began blasting the Grimm that were now swarming the window, each clamoring to kill the three Huntsmen. There were so many that a pile of dissolving Grimm was beginning to form at the foot of the window sill.

After thirty minutes of fighting, the group was nearly done. Dylan thrust her left hand out. Immediately, four beams of blue light shot from her fingers and latched themselves onto Beowolf that she was fighting. The Beowolf spasmed as electricity coursed through its body. Dylan took the opportunity to switch her stance and pump the Grimm full of Dust.

"How you doing, Wash?" York grunted as he cut through another Grimm.

"Not bad," Wash responded as he stabbed a Creep under its chin with one of his black daggers, the knife in his other hand stabbing a Beowolf in the chest. "Ran out of ammo a little while ago, so there's that."

"Will you two idiots shut it and focus on fighting?" Dylan asked, smiling as the group lulled back into the familiarity of group combat.

They all knew what the others would do. York would stab when Dylan Supercharged a Grimm. Wash would attack when York pinned a Grimm. Dylan would shoot when Wash crippled an enemy. They knew how to fight now, but there were still some flaws here and there.

"Wash, I'm lining them up," Dylan called as she spread her arms wide and unleashed an expanding wave of blue light that Supercharged the last few Grimm at once.

"Got it," Wash called.

He ran forwards and stabbed and slashed at the spasming Grimm, their screeches echoing outwards as their lives were ended. The monsters flopped to the ground, already beginning to dissolve.

The three huntsmen breathed heavily as they surveyed the carnage. The room was a mess. The walls were stained black with the inky blood of Grimm, courtesy of Wash's knives in most cases and most of the furniture was smashed to pieces. York groaned and whipped his sword down in an attempt to fling off the oily blood that clung to the blade, grimacing when most of it stayed on his blade.

"So, anyone care for a drink?" Wash asked as he twirled his knives by his head before sliding them into their sheaths.

"Let's just keep moving," Dylan said, as she glared down at her stained coat.

York scowled but followed his friend as she walked out of the room. Maybe this time they would continue their investigation in a place not swarming with Grimm.

Sarge limped down the road. He was disgraced. Not only had Salem tried to kill him, nearly succeeding he might add, but he had been saved by Neo of all people, the least likely person to save him.

"Go home, Neo," Sarge growled over his shoulder at the girl who was following him. Neo smirked and shook her head. The message was clear.

" _Try to stop me."_

Sarge growled once more and continued to limp through the back alleys of Vale. Neo slowly walked behind him, her umbrella resting on her shoulder. They continued on like this for a ways: Sarge telling her to leave, Neo ignoring him, and annoying Sarage more and more. Finally, Sarge lost it and yelled at her.

"Damnit Neo!" he snarled. "This ain't a game. This is real! Get outta here before more of those blasted Grimm show up!" Neo smirked and took another step closer.

" _Make me."_

Sarge growled and threw a punch at her. Neo continued to smirk as she stepped out of the way of his poorly thrown attack. Sarge stumbled forwards and caught himself on the wall. He staggered back to his feet and scowled.

"How utterly disgraceful," he muttered to himself as his head began to throb painfully. "To think that I could be bested by a single blow."

Neo's smirk began to fall as the former enforcer continue to mutter to himself. She took a step forward in concern as Sarge slipped off the wall and collapsed on the ground. She could faintly hear him muttering about being defeated as she knelt down to check him over.

His heart was only faintly beating and there was a slowly growing pool of blood collecting around him. Neo abandoned all false pretense and rushed forwards. After a few seconds of struggling, she grabbed the crimson boy's arm and began dragging him down the road, leaving a thin trail of red in their wake. She dragged Sarge towards the nearest safe place she knew, Torchwick's old hideout.

" _I'm concerned, sir," Goodwitch said. "Ever since his first day here, Leonard Church has failed to meet expectations. If we send him out into the field, he will get himself, and his team, killed."_

" _That's not true," Theta reassured quietly. "We wouldn't get them killed."_

" _But what if we did?" Eta asked._

 _Church lay atop the clock tower that was Ozpin's office, listening to the conversation drift out of the opened window. Eta and Theta lay next to him, offering their input on the situation. Delta was thinking about their homework for that night so he was occupied at the moment. Church sighed quietly._

 _Maybe they were right. Every fight he had been had resulted in either him in the hospital or having his teammates bail him out. Church got up and made his way down. He only paused when he heard Ozpin begin to speak again._

" _You're correct." the headmaster's voice spoke clearly._

 _Church sighed again and made his way down the steps that circled the tower, ignoring Theta as the fragment tried to reassure him that Ozpin hadn't meant it. Church was already out of earshot when Ozpin put down his cup of coffee and answered his subordinate._

" _However," the headmaster continued, "that is not to say that he will not get better in time. Mr. Church has alway been resourceful. One does not survive the deserts alone without the ability to find a way through. He will succeed. Just give him time, Glynda."_

" _Very well, sir" the combat teacher sighed. "I will trust your judgement."_


End file.
